The Brookhaven leader., 1887-10-06


nor; not because | did not believe it
ought to have been established, but be
cause feared that complaints would
be made which would imperil all of the
State institutions. would have waited
little longer till the idea Of industrial
education had been more fixed in the
public mind than it is. But it has been
established; a great deal of money has
been spent on it; it has been success
fully inaugurated, and the question
now is, Shall we give up all this? |
answer, No! | regard the Industrial In
stitute as second only in importance to
the State, to the A. and NJ. College;
and only second To that, because eve
live and move and have our being" in
agriculture. 1t is the foundation of our
financial and industrial system; and as
| have shown, and as you know, that
system is not a good one and it must be
reformed, or our disasters will be greater
and greater.
One half Of our population are fe-
males; they are citizens, but not voters;
they are our mothers, our wives, our
sisters and our daughters; in all the
relations of life they do their full duty;
ali the burdens of life they share equal
ly with Us, and sometimes take an I'M
due share; yet up to the establishment of
this Institute, the State had done moth
ing for their separate industrial educa-
ton.
WOMEN HAVE A RIGHT TO LIVE;
nobody doubt that. Have they not also
right, an equal right, with men to
I II fnr hlxy IA t1,,o
Must they be beggars and pensioners,
when misfortune, or ill-fortlne, has de-
prived them of the aid of fathers or
| brothers, or husbands or sons? If they
are not allowed fair chance to be
bread-winners for themselves and their
orphan children, then we must, by taxa
ton, provide retreats in which they can
live in comfort aud ease Teaching and
the needle are about ali the occupations
open in Mississippi for women. The
number of teachers is necessarily lin.
tied. Needle women are probably the
lowest paid of all human laborers.
| Whoever wears the cheap-made clothing
sold III our stores, may know that its
cheapness consists, in large degree, in
the overwOIk Of women, which produces
disease and death, and of that under
pay, which means starvation and cold,
to the mother-needle woman, aud her
hel pess children. SO if there be any
duty resting on civilized State pro-
Tossing TO be Christian, higher and
more exigent than any other, it is
to 50 provide that its women shall have
the opportunity for learning how to
win bread, raiment and lodging-how to
be comfortable and independent, when
OVertaken by the misfortanes of life.
On this subject, | call your attention to
a letter written by one Of the women
of Mississippi over the signature of
Simplicia, and published in The CLAIR.
ION of September 18th. And also to a
letter of Mrs. Peyton's hereto appended
as Exhibit A., and | here ask every pa
per i'll the State tc give these letters in
sertion in their columns. The side of
the Institute is strongly and fairly sta
ted in both of them, much better than
anything | can write. | don't think
che men of Mississippi can be deaf to
these arguments.
ooh, but" it is said,
I'VE ARE OVERWHELMED GROUND DOWN
BY TAXATION,
and 1t Is wrong to tax poor people who
cannot send their children to these in
situations :" These objections need re-
spectful notice. In the first place, |
will say, that the burden of taxation
does not 50 much consist in the amount
of taxes levied, as in the economy and
wisdom of their expenditure. On
the contrary, the question which con-
a To l. oil
gether how much do | pay? but l0hdt
good purpose is subserved by the money
when it is paid in? Does it go to enrich
some dishonest contractor? Is it wasted
in unnecessary and useless enterprises?
Is it given in extravagant salaries to
officials and their dependents? Is it
wisely, honestly and carefully applied
to the public use? If the latter alter
native be. the true category, then,
large taxation, if not beyond the means
of the people-is not matter of Just
complaint. For instance those OF us
who live in the Yaz0o- Delta, pay addi-
tionally as large a tax as the ordinary
State and county tax combined.
But this tax is paid to protect us
from overflow, and 1t does protect us.
Yet for that protection and the gains it
gives, it is not considered that the tax
is burdensOme; at least, as one of these
taxpayers, L do not so consider it. So
since the war, we nave school tax in
addition to our other taxes, but that
tax saves the people from the expense
of paying directly for the education of
their children in the common schools.
| can see, | think, that there are some
USELESS AND EXrRAvAGANT EXPENDI-
TUREs,
both in the State and county govern
ments But on this, others might and
will differ with me. The State expendi-
lures, every dollar OF them, are fixed
and regulated by the people themselves,
through their Representatives; and if
there be extravaga nee, the people are
responsible.
But it is said, that the poor are taxed